Won't start...help!

I've had my WR250X for about 14k miles and it's been super reliable in that time. I changed the oil (Rotella 5W40 Synthetic) on Sunday and then started it up. It ran fine, so I put it away. Then I take it out to commute to work on Monday morning and the engine won't start.

I hear the fuel pump and it will crank, but the engine won't start.


I will begin by checking out the plug tonight. Is there anything else I should look for? Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Yaozer wrote:

I've had my WR250X for about 14k miles and it's been super reliable in that time. I changed the oil (Rotella 5W40 Synthetic) on Sunday and then started it up. It ran fine, so I put it away. Then I take it out to commute to work on Monday morning and the engine won't start.

I hear the fuel pump and it will crank, but the engine won't start.


I will begin by checking out the plug tonight. Is there anything else I should look for? Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

There are so many things to check and places to start and I'm no expert but start with the simple first and help us rule stuff out with you.

Make sure it's in neutral, stand is up. There are two sense switches on them one on each that could go faulty although they probably shouldn't allow it to crank but I have not had any problems with mine so can't say for sure, mines it's still new.

What year model is it and have you ever had fuel pump changed or any issues?

Did you wash it? How long did you run it?

While you have the plug out if it hasn't been changed in a while probably worth changing it as it isn't the most friendly to get to. Keep your old one as a spare but check it for spark before swapping to the new one.

Most importantly keep the battery charged up and check one thing at a time in case it is a crook connection and comes good so you know where to start back at if it comes back. Mainly in the case of those switches I mentioned.

speersie wrote:

Yaozer wrote:

I've had my WR250X for about 14k miles and it's been super reliable in that time. I changed the oil (Rotella 5W40 Synthetic) on Sunday and then started it up. It ran fine, so I put it away. Then I take it out to commute to work on Monday morning and the engine won't start.

I hear the fuel pump and it will crank, but the engine won't start.


I will begin by checking out the plug tonight. Is there anything else I should look for? Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

There are so many things to check and places to start and I'm no expert but start with the simple first and help us rule stuff out with you.

Make sure it's in neutral, stand is up. There are two sense switches on them one on each that could go faulty although they probably shouldn't allow it to crank but I have not had any problems with mine so can't say for sure, mines it's still new.

What year model is it and have you ever had fuel pump changed or any issues?

Did you wash it? How long did you run it?

While you have the plug out if it hasn't been changed in a while probably worth changing it as it isn't the most friendly to get to. Keep your old one as a spare but check it for spark before swapping to the new one.

Most importantly keep the battery charged up and check one thing at a time in case it is a crook connection and comes good so you know where to start back at if it comes back. Mainly in the case of those switches I mentioned.

Did you check the kill switch?  

You may want to check the battery charge: 12.9v is fully charged, 12.5v or lower is dead.

There's a sensor in the clutch that could be a problem though I believe making sure it's in neutral rules that out.  Make sure your neutral light is on--I had a bike that wouldn't start in neutral as the neutral sensor was flaky.

speersie covered the rest of my list.  I'd be less likely to mess with the plug or fuel pump as I believe it would still crank if either were bad.

-morgan

Any luck finding the problem Yaozer?
There is another person having similar problems.
https://wr250rforum.forumotion.com/t11115-bike-won-t-start

speersie wrote:

Any luck finding the problem Yaozer?
There is another person having similar problems.
https://wr250rforum.forumotion.com/t11115-bike-won-t-start

Hey Guys:

Sorry for not checking back here in a while. I got her running the day after I posted. I took the advice here and emptied out the tank after removing it. I refilled it with fresh 93 Octane mixed with Marine Stabil and a little seafoam. Then I pulled the spark plug and noted that it was blackish (carbon deposits, but not oily), so I got a new plug and threw it in there. I also pulled the air filter and ended up replacing it with a new unit because it was a bit dirty. Checked the battery as well, but I knew it was fine because it always sits on a tender when I'm not riding here.

After I buttoned her up, she cranked up slowly and then went back to her normal self again...Ms. Reliable.

My guess is that it was a batch of bad fuel or the plug. Thanks for your help, guys.

I really enjoy this bike as my daily commuter and it saves me a ton on fuel costs.